Three Seasons In Yellowstone National Park - The Summer

Yellowstone is one of my favorite holiday destinations. It is an active volcanic park and one of the most exotic destinations in the world. An absolute must for a nature lover. Wanting to fulfill my idiosyncratic wish to enter this volcanic extravaganza from all its five gates, I went back to the park a year after my second visit. This time in summer and through the East gate.

"Nothing ever conceived by human art could equal the peculiar vividness and delicacy of the color of these remarkable prismatic springs. Life becomes a privilege and a blessing after one has seen and thoroughly felt these incomparable types of nature's cunning skill." - Yellowstone expedition's leader, Ferdinand Hayden (Source)

'Next to the motel we lodged at, was a quaint house on a hilltop. At first glance, Edward Scissorhand's castle flashed in my mind sans the snow of course. It had an eerie magnetism about it. An engineer's unfinished dream, the Smith Mansion in Wapity Valley is an example of unique artistry. Francis Smith had started this project as a house for his family but soon lost himself entirely to the madness of building it (such as the story explained by the motel owner). He single-handedly pieced every part of this five-storied fantasy. Whether it was bringing the partial fire-damaged lodgepole pines from the nearby rattlesnake mountains or designing the fairy tale dining table, shaping the giant swing, crafting the elkhorn door knobs, or constructing the elegant gable roofs, day after day for 12 long years he dedicated himself to this solo task. There was also a little love story attached to the legend and this solitary insane involvement. It is said, that so deep was Mr. Smith's love for his wife, that when she separated from him, he directed all his devotion and energy to build this dream project with such intense passion that even his death came from a fall while working on a balcony during one of the crazy westerlies visit, Wyoming is (in)famous for.'

. The Story. 

So, our summer trip to Yellowstone happened on the July 4th long weekend. We planned to base our trip from Cody, Wyoming. We started our drive from Fargo and it took almost half a day to reach Cody via Billings, Montana. 

On our way to Cody, we were literally chased by a storm. We could see the dark clouds following us with great speed while the radio kept announcing storm alerts. That was one interesting race. Well we did eventually escape it by taking shelter in a small town deli. 

We booked a hotel on the outskirts of Cody since all lodges in the park were already booked due to the peak holiday season. Lesson learned: If planning to stay in the park, plan ahead and book ahead, particularly during national holidays and summers.

'Most scenic 52 miles in the United States' was quoted by President Roosevelt for the 45-minute Buffalo Bill scenic byway drive from Cody to Yellowstone, through the gorgeous volcanic Absaroka range. I would second Teddy Roosevelt anytime. The drive indeed was spectacular. If not the best, it definitely was one of the best. 

Lake Yellowstone which is a part of the Yellowstone caldera is one of the first features one meets when entering through the east gate. 

Map of the main geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park. It doesn't include the Norris Basin in the northwest, which I could not visit during this trip.

West Thumb Geyser Basin with a glimpse of the Yellowstone Lake. 

The Old Faithful is one of the tallest geysers in the world erupting up to a height of about 185 ft. In fact, I had the notion that it is the tallest till I learned at the park that the steamboat geyser in the Norris basin is the tallest shooting up to a height of about 390 ft, though extremely irregular and unpredictable thus, conferring the more frequent and predictable Old faithful the position of being the most popular. The last major eruptions of steamboats were witnessed in 2013 and 2014.  List of the tallest geysers in the world.

Quite by accident, we met a Bullsnake in the upper geyser basin. We were told this snake is aggressive but non-venomous and is the largest snake species in North America. It has a unique skin pattern and is easily identifiable. Black/brown/yellowish stripes on top and three layers of black/brown spots on both sides. Usually, these snakes are 4-6 ft long. This one was almost 5 ft long.

We met herds of bison and elks in Lamar Valley. This particular bison was the largest of the lot.

Sapphire Pool, Excelsior pool, Turquoise pool (left to right, above), and Opal pool are some of the most exotic pools of the middle geyser basin. The exquisite colors of these hot spring pools are due to the varied layers of microbial mats in these basins, the varied depths, and the varied levels of temperature. The spectral reflection depends on the optical absorption by the mats and scattering by the water and the incident solar and diffuse skylight conditions (as explained by a study conducted by Montana State University). One of the most dramatic plays of colors is seen in the largest hot spring in the park, the Grand Prismatic Spring.  It is one of the popular hotspots of the park.

Grand Prismatic Spring

Opal pool

Shell Geyser

The Excelsior geyser was the second tallest geyser in the world spouting up to a height of 300 ft. but after its major eruption in 1890, it has not spouted very high. Many of the tall but unpredictable geysers are located in the western Norris basin, (which I couldn't visit during this visit), the lower basin, and the upper basin.

Jewel Geyser

There is a collection of smaller geysers like shells and jewels in the biscuit basin, which is one of the most volatile and unpredictable basins in the park. It's been so named because of the biscuit-like deposits around the geysers.

Paint pots

Firehole waterfalls

The lower geyser basin is the largest basin in the park and has some popular attractions like the Great Fountain geyser which can unpredictably shoot up to 230 ft. We missed the geyser eruption but it is a predictable geyser and spouts over 200 ft. There are many mud pools, paint pots, and hot springs in this basin as well. Further west from this basin are the Fire hole waterfalls.

Firehole river along the Midway Geyser basin

The Angel 'travertine' terrace of the Mammoth hot springs. 

A beautiful sunset on our way back through South Dakota

Three Seasons in Yellowstone National Park - Winter - North gate >> Part 1

Three Seasons in Yellowstone National Park - Fall - South gate >> Part 3